Former first-round pick Danny Shelton revitalizing NFL career with Chiefs
During the 2022 NFL season, Kansas City Chiefs DT Danny Shelton was elevated from the practice squad for a single game. He played 11 total snaps and recorded no official statistics during the game. It seems like quite the dramatic fall from grace for the former No. 12 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft. […]
During the 2022 NFL season, Kansas City Chiefs DT Danny Shelton was elevated from the practice squad for a single game. He played 11 total snaps and recorded no official statistics during the game.
It seems like quite the dramatic fall from grace for the former No. 12 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft. Shelton appeared in 100 games with 72 starts in his first seven seasons in the league after a standout career with the Washington Huskies in college. Yet, his time was spent mostly on the practice squad in Kansas City during the 2022 NFL season after being made a late addition to the 90-man roster in training camp.
Even after winning his second Super Bowl ring with the Chiefs last season, the 29-year-old is not taking his opportunity lightly. He could easily ride out the practice squad again, but the veteran defensive lineman is clearly striving to make the 53-man roster and contribute in a much larger capacity than he did a season ago.
His teammates are certainly noticing the year-over-year growth within the system.
"Danny's (Shelton) been growing since he got here," Chiefs LB Nick Bolton told reporters on Tuesday. "He’s one of those guys that came in, he’s played a lot of football as an older guy, so he’s seen a lot of things. He’s seen a lot of different football schemes and how stuff works. Bringing him in on the D-line as another vet helps a lot. He’s a bigger guy so he knows he’ll require double teams and that helps us linebackers out as well. So, we’re excited (about) what Danny brings to the table. He just keeps building and getting better and better every single day, and we can see where it takes us.”
A preseason Week 1 standout
The best way to make the 53-man roster is to build on what you accomplish in training camp with a strong preseason performance. Shelton did just that in preseason Week 1 with the New Orleans Saints. Not only did he dominate in the run game (one stop and one tackle on the stat sheet), but he also had a sack on a successful line stunt.
Beyond the notable lack of depth at the defensive tackle position with Chris Jones holding out and Tershawn Wharton sidelined by injury, Shelton's 53-man roster chances are largely through his own doing. Shelton weighed over 340 pounds when he arrived in Kansas City a season ago, he's noticeably trimmed down, leading to better play on the football field according to Chiefs DL coach Joe Cullen.
“He’s in better shape," Cullen said of Shelton. "Danny is lighter, he’s moving quicker and it showed in the game. He had a couple of tackles, he had a sack, and Danny hasn’t missed a rep at all in the preseason so that’s helped him out.”
With 11 days to go until roster cuts, Shelton will have two more opportunities in the preseason to make his presence felt and push for a roster spot on the team. Look for him to potentially get some looks with the first-team defense in Saturday's game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid’s one-word update on DT Chris Jones’ holdout
Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid seems to be just as tired of the Chris Jones shenanigans as everyone else.
Featured image via Charlie Reidel/AP Photo
